Thanksgiving salad with pears, parmesan and pomegranate seeds

If you want a salad that screams “holiday”, you’ve arrived at a very good place.

First of all, when you want to give your salad a festive or holiday feel, you can’t go wrong with pomegranate seeds. That’s just a fact. The small, bright ruby ​​arils are almost glistening and translucent, and their sweet-tart flavor instantly makes your salad feel like a holiday salad. you You can remove them from the whole pomegranateor in small containers, which saves you the trouble of dissecting a whole pomegranate.

next, pearhas a nice holiday atmosphere. fruit for salad. It always makes me feel special. And sophisticated.

And cheese! This salad includes shavings of Parmesan cheese, one of the world’s finest cheeses, with a nutty flavor and firm texture.

And finally, what makes this salad special are the puff pastry croutons. I can’t resist packaged croutons. When I see them, I feel like my salad has been demoted and I choose them as soon as possible. But I love raw croutons. And I love puff pastry. And I love this combo.

When most of us think of puff pastry, we think of it. dessertBut sometimes we forget just how many ways it can be used in delicious dishes. You’ll be surprised how easy these croutons are to make. Just cut out the shape you want to fit the croutons. mini cookie cutter (Available online and wherever baking tools are sold). Or just slice puff pastry Process into square or diamond shapes. Remove any excess dough if desired, brush the surface with mayonnaise, sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan cheese and salt, lightly bake, and you’ve got these adorable little croutons.

I had a small leaf cookie cutter that was perfect for fall salads (Thanksgiving, I’m here for you). But I also cut them into diamonds and played with other shapes. They worked in every possible way. It also worked when I left the puff pastry around the cutout, and it also worked when I peeled off the excess pastry and left the silhouette of the cutout on the cookie sheet. Mayonnaise is like a mix of egg brushing and melted butter, both classic options for glossing and nicely browning pastries. A sprinkle of grated Parmesan and salt adds a punch of flavor.

It will keep for several days in an airtight container, so you can make it ahead or save leftovers for a super stylish snack.

Note: Shaved Parmesan cheese is Parmesan cheese that is sliced ​​or shaved very thinly into small bite-sized pieces. In fact, you can buy it this way in such small containers in many high-end supermarkets. You can also take a chunk of Parmesan cheese and a vegetable peeler and scrape off the strips of Parmesan (just be careful not to leave any skin behind). It’s very easy to do. Before doing this, let the Parmesan cheese sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. This will allow the shavings to peel off smoothly and prevent them from crumbling (if they become crumbly, put the broken pieces directly into the salad).

thanksgiving holiday salad

Number of people: 6

Parmesan puff pastry croutons

1 package of thawed and chilled puff pastry

4 tablespoons mayonnaise, or more if desired

About 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese, or more if desired

Kosher salt (appropriate amount)

vinaigrette sauce

1 large shallot, chopped

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons honey

Kosher or coarse salt and freshly ground pepper (optional)

salad

4 cups baby arugula

4 cups thinly sliced ​​romaine cheese

2 pears (cut in half, cored and thinly sliced)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (see note above)

1 cup pomegranate seeds (divided)

direction

Make the puff pastry croutons: Spread or spread the puff pastry directly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cut the pastry into squares, diamonds, or any other shape you like, or use cookie cutters to cut the pastry into the shape you want. Pull up the dough around the mold and toss to create croutons that are lightly browned not only on the top but also on the sides. Alternatively, you can leave the entire pastry in place and remove the croutons once the whole thing is baked. If you cut your puff pastry into diamond shapes, leave everything as is.

Lightly coat the top of the pie crust shape with mayonnaise. Sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle with a little salt.

Bake for 12-16 minutes (depending on the size of your pie crust and whether you removed excess pastry around the cutout). It’s done when the dough rises and the surface turns golden brown. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and wait until the croutons have cooled. If you need to remove the shapes from the remaining dough, do so after the dough has cooled a little.

While the croutons are baking, make the vinaigrette. In a small container, combine shallots, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, honey, salt, and pepper. Shake to blend.

Place the arugula and romaine in a large bowl. Add pears, Parmesan cheese, and half of the pomegranate seeds to the bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss. Scatter the remaining pomegranate seeds on top and spread the puff pastry croutons over the salad to serve. You can also serve the salad on individual plates and top with the remaining pomegranate seeds and croutons.

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Katie Workman is a regular contributor to The Associated Press about food. She has written two cookbooks, Dinner Solved!, that focus on family cooking. and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.” she writes a blog https://themom100.com/. She can be reached at (email protected).

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